Well-known Member

It seems now I am cut up or overtaken dangerously on almost daily basis now by some idiot. Today I was cut up by some fool who then blocked the roundabout because his exit was not clear. I pointed out to him that he had to give way to the right, and he gets out of his car gesturing for a fight. Leaving his car in the middle of a roundabout.

Well-known Member

It seems now I am cut up or overtaken dangerously on almost daily basis now by some idiot. Today I was cut up by some fool who then blocked the roundabout because his exit was not clear. I pointed out to him that he had to give way to the right, and he gets out of his car gesturing for a fight. Leaving his car in the middle of a roundabout.

People just seem to be so much short tempered these days.

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I have found over the years that the car I drive has a big impact on how other road users behave towards me.

The more sporty the car looks, the more grief seems to follow.

I remember running a BMW Z3 when they first came out some years ago as a company car. I only had it for 4 weeks but was so glad to hand it back as I swear even the invalid carriages were out to get me.

Distinguished Member

I have found over the years that the car I drive has a big impact on how other road users behave towards me.

The more sporty the car looks, the more grief seems to follow.

I remember running a BMW Z3 when they first came out some years ago as a company car. I only had it for 4 weeks but was so glad to hand it back as I swear even the invalid carriages were out to get me.

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I've actually found the opposite.

When I drove my Megane 225 I very rarely got tailgated, now I have an X Type estate it's a daily thing, despite me not being a slow driver at all.

Banned

so many angry people out there though I find, all to ready to snarl and beep

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A few years ago I committed a cardinal sin in Spain as we were crawling along in a traffic jam at about 5mph and I waved someone in from a side road much to the anger of the driver behind me who gave me a prolonged blast on his horn and a wave of his fist as I had effectively stolen four seconds of his life.

It isn't just Brits

Incidentally on the subject of cars that one drives my wife always used to attract the attention of the boy racers when she had a Z4 then a Boxster as if it was an insult to their manhood to be overtaken by a female

Well-known Member

I drive a red Daewoo Lanos hatchback (case of availability when I needed to buy a car) and find that at just over 30mph in a 30 limit (measured by both speedo and GPS and confirmed by the flashing "Slow Down" signs) that just because my car looks like something an elderly/slow driver might use that every Tom, Dick and Harriet MUST overtake me??

Distinguished Member

Mt car had a piece of the plastic engine bay tray thingy (stops stones from bouncing up into the engine maybe?) had broke and was hanging down. In the two weeks before I goit round to fixing it up again, the missus and I must have had 6-8 different people, men and women from all ages, tell us there was something hanging off the bottom of the car! Very pleasantly surprised!

Well-known Member

Id say yes. Just seems people pull out of junctions infront of you which means you have to brake and slow right down, tail gating is just the norm. Even cyclists think they have the right to take up as much road as they want these days.
The one thing that really gets my goat is when people don't flash to let you know there is a speed trap ahead, I always flash everyone when I pass one.

Banned

Actually they do have a right to use a much road as they need, as long as they do so safely. Just like motorbikes.

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Your first line sums the problem up, in that cyclists can only really safely take up a large amount of road if the road is empty.
If there's any traffic around, doing anything other than hugging the gutter is arrogant or stupid.
Motorbikes, largely, can at least keep up with traffic, so do not need people to find space to go around them.

Just because they have 'right' to do it doesn't mean they can, just like the bloke who wanted the 'right' to have kids in 'The Life Of Brian'

It should also be remembered cyclists don't pay roadtax. An argument they often use is "I pay roadtax on the car I've left at home"
Yeah, well I have to pay roadtax on my motorbike AND my car.

Well-known Member

Your first line sums the problem up, in that cyclists can only really safely take up a large amount of road if the road is empty.
If there's any traffic around, doing anything other than hugging the gutter is arrogant or stupid.
Motorbikes, largely, can at least keep up with traffic, so do not need people to find space to go around them.

Just because they have 'right' to do it doesn't mean they can, just like the bloke who wanted the 'right' to have kids in 'The Life Of Brian'

It should also be remembered cyclists don't pay roadtax. An argument they often use is "I pay roadtax on the car I've left at home"
Yeah, well I have to pay roadtax on my motorbike AND my car.

Active Member

Your first line sums the problem up, in that cyclists can only really safely take up a large amount of road if the road is empty.
If there's any traffic around, doing anything other than hugging the gutter is arrogant or stupid.
Motorbikes, largely, can at least keep up with traffic, so do not need people to find space to go around them.

Just because they have 'right' to do it doesn't mean they can, just like the bloke who wanted the 'right' to have kids in 'The Life Of Brian'

It should also be remembered cyclists don't pay roadtax. An argument they often use is "I pay roadtax on the car I've left at home"
Yeah, well I have to pay roadtax on my motorbike AND my car.

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They have the right and it does mean they can use all the available road, the general accepted distance is around a metre, hugging the gutter is stupid, you will be hitting potholes, drains etc.

It should also be remembered that cyclists dont have to pay road tax, and not having to doesn't give them any less rights.

Well-known Member

No one pays road tax. It doesn't exist. Surely you are talking about vehicle excise duty. I am a cyclist and I pay that because I also have a car.

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Semantics but yes you are of course right.

And of course the roads are not totally funded by the excise duty just like the excise duty doesn't just pay for the roads.

So you could argue that my granny who pays income tax and national insurance and council tax contributes to the building and upkeep of the roads even though she doesn't own a car or a bike and is housebound.

Active Member

OT, I know, but round where I live every weekend we are invaded by cyclists. They ride in large groups of around 10 and take up the whole side of the roads, which are generally 50mph country roads. Don't have a real issue wit this, but it just means that when you re doing 50 and they are doing much less it can cause a tail back and also is very dangerous for them.

Often they pull out of junctions in front of you when you end up having to brake quite hard as you can't pass them due to either traffic or other road obstacles. They may have a right of way, but I find them the most arrogant and inconsiderate of all the road users.

Banned

Didn't you read the above posts? What about cars where the Tax is £0? Shouldn't they have to pay?

You may think cyclists should pay, but there are no laws in place to say they have too.

Nik

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I wasn't replying to those posts, so whether I read them or not is irrelevant.
With regard to low emissions cars, the goalposts will constantly be moved so that a car currently attracting £0 will attract something in a year or two.